thestargazersagafandomcom-20200214-history
Junius Dasceyle
Junius Dasceyle, ''Jynese ''in his native tongue, is Lord of Vesnhal and the former Master of Zevala. He is regarded as a hero for securing victory for Aemedra during the Heavenly War. He was a personal friend of Azrael Osyre, and has been named the Lord Monarch's new High Vizier after Azrael's death. He is one of the major POV characters of the books, and serves as a major antagonist in The Falling. He is husband to Neyin Mysltre, with whom he fathered two daughters, Selene and Liana. His sister Uzuriel was Lady Monarch previous to the current Lord Monarch, Mathias Valipheris. Character and Appearance Junius is in his mid-forties. He has a triangular face with prominent cheekbones, bright violet eyes, and dark gold hair, which is beginning to lose its sheen with age. He is known to be a sour tempered and stubborn man, but undeniably a brilliant swordsman and tactician. It has been said that Junius is dull and uncreative unless killing is involved, as he fails in most non-martial areas of study, much to his frustration. This is, however, a rather unfair assessment, as Junius also possesses surprising talent as a jeweller. Despite his reputation for bitterness, Junius has great respect for those he feels are deserving, and will display his own sort of affection on the rare occasions he lets his guard down. In his youth he possessed a far brighter attitude, but the horrors of war crushed that childish idealism. History Early Life The Dasceyle family was an unremarkable family, reasonably wealthy, established in nobility, but never having achieved much importance. As a child, Junius never displayed any affinity for strategic thinking and was considered a rather gentle soul, even though he would later make his name as a military commander. He got along very well with his older sister Uzuriel, whom he admired since before he could walk. As Uzuriel began excelling in her political studies, Junius felt the need to impress her, and followed her into politics. At this he failed miserably, however, and this shook his spirits significantly. Adolescence Junius was barely into his twenties when the Heavenly War was sparked. He did not wish to pursue a military career at the time, but, deciding that he could not follow his sister into politics, decided to follow his friend Azrael into war. Junius unexpectedly excelled during his training. Uzuriel, who cherished Junius' gentle nature, worried that Azrael was pressuring him too harshly. Junius disagreed with his sister, and he was torn between making his beloved sister proud, and pursuing something that, for the first time, he had a true talent for. Around the time Junius completed his training and was assigned to the Zebalek unit, Uzuriel was elected to the office of Monarch. They did not see much of each other during that time, and they parted on unhappy terms when Junius left for Oedra, to be stationed in Iridin. Iridin In real battle, Junius was not as skilled as he believed himself to be. Oedra was completely unfamiliar and terrifying to him at the time. Azrael had been assigned to a different unit, and was therefore unable to support him. Feeling insecure and alone, Junius relied on his teammates to stay alive. However, during a skirmish against Iridi renegades, Junius fell prey to an ambush, and ended up captured. In a desperate state, he managed to overpower his captors and escape, but found himself alone, deep within the dark forests of Iridin. His teammates believed him dead, and, considering he was a hindrance, did not even attempt a search. Now truly alone, Junius used his wits and managed to survive for a short while, but he knew he was not going to last long, and the forest was impossible to navigate. One rainy night, delirious from hunger, he was attacked by a rypha. Junius managed to kill it, but not before he was severely mauled. Bleeding profusely, Junius dragged himself towards a clearing, which turned out to be part of a road through the woods. By chance a peasant farmer girl from a nearby village happened upon him. Unaware of (or ignoring) his heritage, she bandaged him and brought him back to her home. Junius was completely taken aback by this complete stranger's kindness, despite the fact he was an enemy soldier. Not wishing to bring harm to her, he resolved to leave the moment he was well enough. His wounds however, were too severe for a speedy recovery, and he was bedridden for weeks. During this time, he got to know his rescuer, whose name was Lyria. The gentle part of his soul was reawakened by her compassion, and before long, he found himself deeply infatuated with her. When he was recovered, he found himself unwilling to leave her, and she felt the same way. Lyria was something of an outcast, and Junius was able to live with her in secret for a while. He was now a deserter, but he found it hard to care. Lyria's unconditional love made him feel complete and happier than he ever thought was possible. Over several months, the two of them lived simply and happily together. Junius kept his hair dyed in order to hide the telltale sheen of the Aengeli, and lived quietly among the Dremori, completely anonymously. Before long, Lyria became pregnant with his child. As his culture dictated, Junius created a pendant for his lover to commemorate the conception. He procured tools from a blacksmith and modified them himself, using bits of the decorative metal from the hilts of his swords as material. The pendant was simple, but incredibly well crafted, especially considering the crude tools he had to work with. Things took a sharp turn for the worse, however, when their daughter was born. The girl was obviously fathered by an Angel as she had shining silver hair. The midwife immediately informed the village chieftain of Junius' true identity, and he rallied the rest of the village against him. Lyria and the baby were imprisoned in their home and sentenced to death. Junius attempted to fight, but to no avail. He was overpowered, beaten bloody, and left for dead. In his last moments of consciousness he saw his home go up in flames and heard the screaming from inside. When he awoke, only ashes remained. At this moment, he flew into a berserk rage. He took up his swords again and marched into the village. Almost unable to control himself, he murdered every last man woman and child and burned the entire village to the ground. He attempted to kill himself afterwards, but was unable to go through with it. Through the whole night he lay in the charred mud surrounded by raging flames, barely able to comprehend what had just happened. The tower of smoke could be seen for miles, and Junius was eventually found by a member of his former unit. Reinstatement Junius was interrogated, but he said absolutely nothing of what happened. To this day, all that transpired remains a secret only he knows. He was going to be investigated and tried for desertion, but the Master of Zebalek at the time decided they didn't have the time to hold a trial, and elected to postpone until the after conflict was over. During his absence, most of his unit had been replaced, and so his personal reputation as a weakling was unknown. And, considering what he did to that village by himself, it would not have been believed anyway. His opinion of Oedra became forever tainted by these events. He understood that the Dremori would be against him, but he was utterly disgusted by how easily and happily they turned on Lyria, undoubtedly the kindest and most loving person he ever knew. As a sort of symbolic revenge, Junius resolved to destroy the rebel leaders in Iridin, whom he held indirectly responsible for his family's death. With newfound assertiveness and determination, Junius managed to convince his commander to listen to a plan he devised to root out the ringleaders and cut off the heads of the beast all at once. His time behind enemy lines gave him a unique insight into their behaviours and tactics, which he exploited to terrible effect. Junius' plans worked with nary a hitch, and the Master was so impressed by Junius' ruthless ingenuity he decided to do Junius a favour and ignore all charges against him, never informing anyone else. Junius made an example of the rebel leaders to all other smaller rebellions in the region, and managed to seal control of Iridin through fear. This was not enough for him, however, and he proceeded to kill off every known and suspected rebel. From that point onward, Junius moved steadily up through the ranks and was eventually promoted to Master of Zebalek himself. Junius' personal troubles were not over, however. Azrael, who had been named High Vizier, visited Junius' encampment with news that Uzuriel, after years of suffering with illness, had finally perished. To make matters worse, her position was filled by her consort, Mathias Valipheris, whom Junius absolutely detested. With Azrael marching alongside him, Junius led the final assault on Se Tano. He personally "negotiated" the surrender with King Doran VaSal. When the King resisted, he allowed Azrael to carry out the execution of the royal family, forcing the King to yield. With that, the Heavenly War was ended. After the War Junius returned to Aemedra for the first time since being sent to Oedra, and was welcomed back by cheering crowds. Lord Monarch Valipheris presented Junius with a medal of honour and granted him Lordship over his homeland of Vesnhal, as well as the newly made title of Peacekeeper. Junius, who thought of himself as a perpetuator of violence and anger, resented this title, but accepted it, as it was his duty. After a lengthy period of isolation, during which Junius tried taking up various hobbies to keep his mind off the past, he resolved to try and move on. Almost on impulse, he married Neyin Mysltre, a girl whom he knew loved him from afar since his youth. However, he was distant and it took a number of years for him to open up and start to truly return her affections. Junius made a pendant for Neyin when she became pregnant with Selene, but it was far plainer than the one he had made for Lyria, which was presumed lost in the fire. Junius was distant to Neyin, but almost non-existent to Selene, whom he had great difficulty feeling affection for, as she looked nothing like daughter he had with Lyria. To him, it almost seemed that she was not truly his child. He was somewhat more compassionate towards Liana, whose golden hair could appear silver if the lighting was right. Both his children possessed the sweet temper he himself had as a child, which distressed him. He saw his younger self as a weakling, and believed he never would have fallen in love with Lyria if not for that weakness. He sometimes felt he would have been better off if she had never found him. His lands and titles provided a good deal of wealth, and so Junius lived with his family in comfort, but quiet unhappiness for many years to come. Category:Characters